Clark gets Test call-up

Australia has made one change to its XII for the first Test against South Africa next week in Perth, with fast bowler Stuart Clark included at the expense of spinner Stuart MacGill.

Not included in the team for the first Test at the Gabba, MacGill did return to the line-up in place of Nathan Bracken for the second and third matches in the series at Bellerive and Adelaide Ovals respectively.

But with conditions at the WACA Ground again expected to favour pace bowling rather than spin, Clark has been named in the XII, with Bracken expected to return to the team and Clark tipped to be 12th man.

"It is simply a conditions selection," chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns said. "We felt we needed to include another fast bowler specifically for the conditions at the WACA Ground."

"Stuart Clark has been a steady performer for a long time and we have seen that through his performances in the one-day matches in New Zealand."

Clark will be on standby though in case fellow fast bowler Brett Lee - who is expected to play - fails to recover sufficiently from a nasal complaint that forced him home early from the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy in New Zealand.

Lee suffered breathing difficulties in the lead-up to the second match on Wednesday and was sent home, with an ear, nose and throat specialist performing minor surgery to remove some tissue from his left nasal passage on Friday morning.